Bible passages taken from the Knox translation. THE RAPHAEL BIBLE Thousands of people visit the Vatican Museum every year, but so intent are they upon the more famous art treasures in its galleries that few get more than a fleeting impression of the rich beauty of the Loggia that leads to the Sistine Chapel. There, inset in the ceiling vaults, are the fifty-two scenes that are known as the Raphael Bible. The paintings, inspired by Raphael’s unique style and executed by painters from his workshop, illustrate episodes in the biblical story from the Creation to Solomon. Rumer Godden, in her love for these magnificent paintings and for the texts they represent, has brought both together for the first time in The Raphael Bible. All but the last four paintings, which deal with events in the New Testament, are reproduced here in full-page plates accompanied on the facing pages by excerpts from the biblical narrative. The story is told in passages taken from the Knox translation supplemented by quotations from the King James Authorized Version, the Douay, the Revised Standard, the Jerusalem Bible, the Moffatt, Dimsdale, and the Book of Common Prayer. In her Preface, Miss Godden gives a concise history of the paintings and provides brief biographies of the artists in Raphael’s workshop who were engaged in the decoration of the Loggia. The Raphael Bible offers a unique opportunity to become acquainted with these remarkable paintings, to learn how they came into being, and to enjoy them while following the story they illustrate in the beautiful and poetic words of the Bible. RUMER GODDEN is the author of fifteen novels; among them are In This House of Brede and Black Narcissus, both of which had convent settings, as well as An Episode of Sparrows, The River, Breakfast with the Nikolides, The Greengage Summer, and A Candle for St. Jude. In St. Jerome and the Lion she retold the ancient legend in verse, and she has also translated, from the French of Carmen Bernos de Gasztold, two books of devotional poems, Prayers from the Ark and The Creatures’ Choir. A Studio Book THE VIKING PRESS 625 Madison Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Printed in U.S.A. CONTENTS Preface, 7 The Raphael Bible, 19 Raphael’s Workshop, 223 Notes on the Loggia Paintings, 227 Appendix, 247